The Flame and the Arrow

[Jennifer]

Well, it's not the worst thing we've ever read. I don't like any of the characters...like at all. It also feels like the author let the story wander, tried to put in every single idea. It needed an editor. Badly.

[Malaraa]

Hell, yes it did! I mean, first page alone: we've got fidgeted, glum, nagged, sighed, jumped, gasped, snatched. I'm exhausted by these people already at that point. And also 4 very's in one sentence. I'm sure that was on purpose, but it still shouldn't have been. At 12% I had to decide whether to stop or not and that's where I went back and started keeping track of every single thing. At 25% I have almost 4 pages of commentary, and it's become an amusing project instead of just a really badly told story.

Some of the ideas could be good here, if she'd worked it over a few more times and gotten some outside help and guidance. Also, I know the character's views aren't always the author's, but her character's views were seriously pissing me off before I started mocking them instead.

Now I've just let go of wanting it to improve and am just having fun with it, like watching an unintentionally really bad movie.

[Jennifer]

Sanasai wrote: "Hell, yes it did! I mean, first page alone: we've got fidgeted, glum, nagged, sighed, jumped, gasped, snatched. I'm exhausted by these people already at that point. And also 4 very's in one sentenc..."


You can tell it's a first novel, and that's fine. I'm not saying anything bad against the author. It had some really good ideas that could have been fleshed out a lot more if she'd been willing to trim some of the fat. It was fast, and it was free. I guess the second one is a lot better, because the author learned from all the mistakes she made with this first one. I might check the rest of the series out. They're cheap.

[Amanda]

Oh my! I haven't started it yet but seeing these comments make me glad that it was at least free! I'll follow Sanasai's move and just think of it as watching an intentionally poorly made movie.

[Elif]

I started it today. I didn't pay any attention to the language, but it made me feel like watching a movie too. I didn't feel like it's a badly one, it started like an avarage romantic comedy movie about a girl :)

I don't know. I read only 1% or something like that in public transport, so maybe I just wanted deep down to be distracted from the crowd and the noise even for a little while. If you say it's bad, maybe I should read this book only in public transport :)

[Malaraa]

It is distracting, I'll give it that much. :)

There's actually worse crafted books out there, but oh my god I hate these characters. lol They are almost all horrible, shallow, thoughtless, mean people and I never could really care if they all dropped off the face of the planet forever. The few that aren't horrible are just so briefly met that I don't trust the seeming normality, I bet they're mean back there somewhere too. All the women think all the other women are sluts. None of them (male or female) ever have each other's backs. And the attitudes!

But so that I'm not totally negative about it, here are the 4 kinda ok things I found in it:

31% (view spoiler)[ They had the same childhood story books. That could have been a cute bonding moment if I didn’t already hate these people so much. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 14 : 38% (view spoiler)[There’s a magical glowing family tree. This is another thing that would be neat if it had better people on it. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 19: 47% (view spoiler)[ Psychic attacks leave toxins in your liver. If this was surrounded by clever stuff, I could work with this. But it's not. But dandelions will magic-fix your liver! So that’s OK! (hide spoiler)]

56% (view spoiler)[They have a Bag of Holding, so they can take All The Things on their plot-mandated trip. (hide spoiler)]

[Kris]

okay now I am worried to even start it

[Malaraa]

It's one of those books I think you have to be in the right mind for reading something you can yell at. :) Sometimes that's fun, sometimes not so much. Yelling worked for me this month, another time I might have just set it down and walked away. The scenery is pretty, that's another good thing! I'm trying, lol!

That said, we should probably talk meeting times already, just because it can be tricky this time of year. So whether it's because of Christmas, Hanukkah, Solstice, New Years, school holidays, whatever, if you have sometime you know ahead you just plain can't, speak up here and we can start working out a meeting time around it! There'll probably be impromptu problems come up anyway, but we'll try to get us all together. :)

Don't worry anyone who chooses not to read it, come anyway! We'll share the pain in condensed version, and you can get the good or funny without the rage if you prefer!

[Jennifer]

So, when do we want to get together, ladies?

[Amanda]

Jennifer wrote: "So, when do we want to get together, ladies?"

Do we want to do another poll?

For me, if we want to do the hangout in the evenings around 8, I think Friday - Monday would be better for me.

[Tahina]

A poll might be a good idea! I'm going to put one up... as the main hangout is the first of december, I'm just going to put up the days 1-12. Hope that is ok? You can vote for more than 1 day, I think, so we can see which one has the most hits :)

btw. ashamed to admit it, but have still not read the book... have started several times but it's just so... I don't know... *sigh*

[Tahina]

hm, I think I was wrong - you can only vote for 1? Do you know, how to get it so that you can vote for more thatn 1?

[Malaraa]

Multi choice isn't an option on GR, unfortunately. I totally sympathize with not being able to get through the book, I only managed to make myself out of sheer rage and because I got on a roll with my 9 page rant. :D

[Elif]

I can't read this one at home. It's impossible. It can only be a distraction. I'm suffering...

[Jennifer]

I'm good for pretty much any time. Weekends just mean that the kid will want to say hello before he goes to bed. :)

[Tahina]

And he would be welcome to do so Jennifer :D

[Jennifer]

Tahina wrote: "And he would be welcome to do so Jennifer :D"

He thinks it's awesome when I talk to people on the computer. He also thinks that Felicia Day is a close personal friend of mine, because he sees me watch the main hangout, thinks it's like ours where we all chat, thinks I'm talking to her.

It's pretty cute.

[Malaraa]

D'awwwww that is cute. :)

[Tahina]

Awww! That IS cute! ^^

[Jennifer]

have we decided? Are we going to do it the same day as the main again or after? Maybe this weekend?

[Malaraa]

Looks like Saturday the third was the top choice ( I just added on because 3 other people picked it). I know there was a concern for someone about weekend evenings, but I work, so I can't do afternoon. If the usual 8 pm is a bit too late for anyone, I could do 7, maybe even make it by 6:30 pm.

Of course, this is assuming no vet emergency for me :/ My Bellatrix is having surgery Wednesday on her lip to remove a tumor, the poor kitty, so it all depends on how she's doing. We have trouble preventing her from kicking off her cone, and I'm scared she'll get it loose and dig at herself once the pain medicine is gone and it starts itching as it heals.

[Elif]

poor baby :( I hope she gets better soon.

I selected Saturday, because on the weekdays I may go to the down-town and stay there if they call me for my visa interview. I literally live for now in my father's small farm outside the city :)

If it should be a weekday, I vote for Friday.

[Jennifer]

Sanasai wrote: "Looks like Saturday the third was the top choice ( I just added on because 3 other people picked it). I know there was a concern for someone about weekend evenings, but I work, so I can't do aftern..."

Ok, sounds good. I hope your kitty is ok.

[Tahina]

During the week Tuesdays or Wednesdays would work for me. Saturday is fine, but on that note - Not only was I not able to get that poll to work the way I wanted it to, I also clicked the wrong choice. I'm on the christmas market iin Staufen this Saturday and afterwards on a birthday party. But I would be up for a hangout Saturday next week (10th)...

[Amanda]

I can participate tomorrow. If it is at 8:00, I can join any day from now through Tuesday. We've got a holiday weekend here in Spain. :)

[Malaraa]

I don't see anyone on, so either I was too late, and/or we're doing another day, I guess. :D I have absolute zero ability to focus this month, so I'm not much help organizing right now.

And thanks ladies, kitty is doing pretty good now, a little trouble eating, but she's getting the hang of it. In another week or so we should find out more but for awhile at least, she's doing better. :)

[Jennifer]

I couldn't get on. My family back home finally was able to all get together for Thanksgiving dinner and we all wanted to Skype. So, I called them right after lunch their time, which was our normal Hangout time.

[Amanda]

I didn't get on last night because it seemed that it wasn't going to work for everyone. :( I'm free Monday, Thursday, and maybe Tuesday next week if we want to try again.

Sanasai, I'm glad kitty is better!

[Elif]

Hey beautiful ladies. I know you will be so busy with this time of the year, but I should ask about the hangout for November books :)

Because of December works (Christmas, New Year...) maybe we can combine November and December books and with one Hangout session we can discuss all the books. What do you think?

If I can get the visa (I'm waiting for the answer) I'll move to Germany in a time between 5th and 10th January, so I can't suggest a specific date.

(I'm a little angry, because the women in consulate told me that I have a terrible English. I'm a translator. I know I can't speak so well, lack of practice, you know, but I can understand and explain myself very well. Translating is not so similar with speaking, it only needs a well understanding and a good knowledge of your native language. I just wanted to share this with you <3 )

[Malaraa]

I'll be capable of thinking again in January, hopefully, so I'm ok with waiting til then if that's what we all want. December tends to be a crazy month everywhere, so I'm sure we're all either exhausted or running like mad right now. If anyone does want to meet in December still, just tell me when to show up, that's about all I can handle until the new year, lol. Otherwise, we can try to get organized for sometime in January. :)

Good luck with your visa and move Elif!